Chapter 10 part 1 Flashcards
positive life change and sources of stress
what is health psychology?
a subfield of psychology that focuses on maintaining health and preventing / treating illness
what is the biopsychological model of health?
the integration of biological, psychological, and social factors in dealing with health related behavior
what is the basic definition of the biopsychological model of health?
the biological, psychological, and social factors that affect health behavior (ex: what biological, psychological, and social factors affect drug use?)
what are health behaviors?
practices that have an impact on physical well being
what does health behavior focus on?
physical health
how do we get people to do more healthy behaviors and stop doing unhealthy behaviors?
using the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Theory of Planned Behavior
which theory came first?
Theory of Reasoned Action
how many factors were required to change behavior in the Theory of Reasoned Action?
3
What factors were required to change behavior in the Theory of Reasoned Action?
specific intentions, positive attitudes, and approval of social group
what are specific intentions?
a promise to yourself to change a behavior (ex: new years resolutions)
what is a positive attitude?
you have to think positively about the change and feel good about the change
what is the approval of your social group?
the people you are close to you support you and the change you are making
what is the factor that is often missing from the either theory when people do not succeed?
support from their social group
what happens when you don’t have support from your social group?
it makes it harder to change the behavior
how many factors are required to change behavior in the Theory of Planned Behavior?
4
what factors are required to change behavior in the Theory of Planned Behavior?
specific intentions, positive attitudes, support from social group, and perception of control
what is perception of control?
feeling like you have the power to change your behavior
what happens when we don’t have perception of control?
we go back to our original behavior
what is the specific process of behavioral change?
stages of change model
what is the stages of change model
5 step process by which people give up bad habits and adopt healthier lifestyles
what are the steps in the stages of change model?
step 1: precontemplation
step 2: contemplation
step 3: preparation / determination
step 4: action / willpower
step 5: maintenance
what is the first step in the stages of change model and what is it?
precontemplation: you are not acknowledging you have a problem and are not ready to change
what is the second step in the stages of change model and what is it?
contemplation: you are acknowledging you have a problem and are ready to change
what is the third step in the stages of change model and what is it?
preparation / determination: where the real change begins and you are planning to take action
what is the fourth step in the stages of change model and what is it?
action / willpower: you are acting on the plan you created and you have to exert willpower to reject the bad behavior
what is the fifth step in the stages of change model and what is it?
maintenance: you have gotten rid of the bad behavior and it gets easier and easier to maintain success (still occasionally have to exert willpower)
what is a relapse?
a return to former unhealthy behavior patterns
when does relapse happen most often?
during step 4 of the stages of change model because going back to the old behavior is easier than exerting the willpower (and it feels good)
what are resources for positive change?
motivation, social relationships, religious faith, and personality characteristics
religious faith
people with a religious faith do more healthy behaviors than people who don’t
personality characteristics
people with certain personality characteristics do more healthy behaviors
motivation
having a reason to change helps you to make the change
social relationships
big factor in ability to change
social relationships are…
the most important variable in predicting health
social support
feedback from others that one is loved, cared for, valued, and included in a network of communication
how does having social support better a person’s mental health?
having people that care for you lessens your stress because they can help you carry your burdens
what are the benefits of social support?
tangible assistance, information, and emotional support and social sharing
tangible assistance
people who are doing tangible things for you that helps you out (ex: having someone drive me to the airport or caring for me after a surgery)
information
people who help you figure out how to solve a problem (ex: calling someone for information and they don’t know, but can give you contact information for someone who does)
emotional support
allows you to vent and talk about problems with people who sympathize; they can’t actually help you but they can make you feel better now
social sharing
everyone shares their issues and vents, which creates a community
high levels of these traits leads to healthier, longer lives
conscientiousness, personal control, self-efficacy, and optimism
conscientiousness
the need to fill social obligations
what are highly conscientiousness people more likely to do?
make Dr and dentist appointments and show up on time
personal control
the feeling that we have the power to change
self-efficacy
confidence in our own ability to do something
optimism
if you have a more optimistic view on the future, you tend to have a longer & healthier life because you have less stress
stress (stress reactions)
term used to describe physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioral responses to events that are perceived as threatening or challenging
stressors
events that cause stress reactions
is a little bit of stress ok?
yes, because we need it to motivate us to get things done
one of the main factors that is detrimental to our life
stress
what causes stress?
decisions, adaptations, physical threats, emotional challenges, change
decisions
even good ones stress us out
adaptations
we must adapt to a new person or environment (ex: moving into a college dorm)
physical threats
someone comes at you with a knife, having cancer
change
any big change in our life
distress
stress that is caused by unpleasant happenings
examples of distress
car broke down, diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder
eustress
stress that is caused by positive happenings
examples of eustress
going to college, having a baby, getting married, buying a house
types of stressors
catastrophes, major life changes, hassles
catastrophes
unpredictable event that happens on a large (global) scale
major life changes
landmark events that change your life
hassles
daily annoyances of life
examples of catastrophes
covid pandemic, earthquake, hurricane, any situation where a lot of people are in a very stressful situation
how do major life changes help us when creating a timeline of our life
we categorize our life into before and after the major life changes (ex: before and after the accident)
examples of hassles
what’s for dinner, cat puked on the carpet, corner spot taken
typical sources of stress
pressure, personal control, frustration, conflict
how is pressure a source of stress?
under pressure to perform well or meet expectations
how is personal control a source of stress?
if I am in control of too many things or if I feel like I’m not in control at all
how is frustration a source of stress?
something is in the way of what we need/where we are supposed to be
how is conflict a source of stress?
your ideas / behaviors are up against someone else’s (can be internal conflict)
pressure
demands and expectations are high from an outside source. time is often a source of pressure
personal control
you feel that you are responsible for and in control of your own behaviors and choices
learned helplessness
after repeated exposure to uncontrollable aversive events, organisms will develop a tendency to remain in stressful situations, even when escape is possible
what does learned helplessness lead to?
increased illness, depression, and anxiety disorders
responses to frustration
persistence, aggression, displacement, escape / withdrawal
what types of frustrations are there?
small ones and large / traumatic ones
example of peristence
keep pressing the buttons on the vending machine
example of aggression
getting upset and hitting the vending machine
example of displacement
stomping or yelling at the first person who asks you what’s wrong instead of hitting the vending machine (displacing anger onto something else)
example of escape / withdrawal
leaving the vending machine and cooling down by watching YouTube
conflict
having to choose between two options, where both options are good, bad, or both
approach-approach conflict
torn between two desirable goals (get fomo)
avoidance-avoidance conflict
torn between two undesirable goals (lesser of two evils)
approach-avoidance conflict
choosing yes or no about a goal that has both good and bad things about it (mostly internal decisions)
